Whispers from the Soul
by NorikoTaylor
Summary: 'There's something about this man that calls to her. Irresistible.' OC, Rain, finds herself on the Hunter Gratzner with no idea how she got there. Meanwhile, Riddick's inner beast finds her intriguing and demands that he claim her as his! Can Rain keep free of the beasts around her? Will she want to?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! But, I have been super obsessed with Pitch Black and TCOR fanfiction lately, and I've decided to give writing one of my own a try!

This is my take on the 'OC finds herself inserted into the movie' fic. But I may change up a little of what happens since adding a new character can change things. It is rated 'M' because it contains violence, gore, and language, just like the movie. I may even get into some more adult/steamy situations in later chapters so this is your one warning about the rating. If you are underage, turn back now!

Please be gentle in your reviews. This is my very first time writing a fanfic!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Whispers from the Soul**

**Chapter 1**

BEEP…BEEP…BEEP

Rain wished that the beeping would stop; then maybe she could rest a little easier…_Oh God! The phone!_

Rain startles awake, her pulse pounding in panic. Had she fallen asleep at work again? The 11p.m.-7a.m. night shift has been her normal for the last 3 years, and she usually has no problem staying awake for the full 8 hours. Things have changed recently though, and her newest semester of college classes has her pulling 22 hour days. There just hadn't been enough class options for senior level courses to set up a better schedule. Regardless, she's discovered that 22 hours awake at a time is nothing for someone with enough determination to succeed. _I am woman….hear me roar…wait…huh? _

Rain pulls out of her self-revere and begins frantically searching for the beeping phone she's supposed to be answering; but everything is different. There is no switchboard, no phone, no desk, no computer, or anything familiar at all. In fact, her entire environment has transformed. _Wha..?_

Rain is standing in some kind of glass and metal rectangular box, looking out into a dark and metal themed room. A red light illuminates her from above and white lights flash quickly through the darkness outside her glass and metal blearily blinks and tries to make sense of her surroundings through the brief flashes of light. The floors outside are metal grate and there are more chutes filled with people waking up, across from her. The beeping that awoke her seems to be an emergency alarm.

_I'm not at work? _She tries to remember what she had been doing last, before everything changed. There's a vague recollection of a falling sensation. _What happened? Is this a dream? Where am I? _Her mind runs a mile a minute, coming up with more questions than answers.

The metal room gives a sudden jolting shudder and Rain presses her hands against the cool glass in front of her reflexively.

"Hello?!" She cries out in alarm. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Rain begins searching for some inner handle or lever to help her escape the small rectangular prison. _This is definitely NOT happening._

There's another sudden jerk and she's flung forward again, unable to catch herself, her head bashes into glass and her vision swims in darkness.

* * *

When Rain wakes for the second time, it's with a pounding headache and her left eye matted together with blood. She's in the same box as before, but the shaking has stopped. The red light above her head has gone dark, and the glass in front of her is now a spider web of cracks. As things get less groggy and more into focus Rain realizes she's horizontal and on her back. _Why? What happened to the dark room from before?_ There's a bright light shining through the cracked glass in front of her, coming from a white and yellow sky.

Rain groans and tentatively touches her forehead; her finger tips come away wet, and red.

"Great," she murmurs. Deciding to make an attempt at freedom, Rain gives the glass above her a shove and it resists with a dull clunk. _Please don't let me be trapped here. _A brief shot of panic makes her heart skip a beat.

"Hey, there's another survivor over here!" A muffled voice calls out. "Hang on, we'll get you out," the voice is closer this time, it sounds feminine.

"K," Rain sighs in relief and closes her eyes, trying to will her headache away.

There's a brief shuffling outside with a few shapes shadowing down on her from above. A few moments pass and the glass and metal front of Rain's prison is finally yanked away. Blinking into bright sunlight, she tentatively sits up; feelings of happy freedom warring with an overwhelming dizziness. _Oh, god, my head._

"Hey you don't look so good. You gonna be alright?" The same voice from earlier asks, belonging to a scruffy looking teen of undistinguishable sex. "I'm Jack." _A boy, then?_

Rain reaches up and touches the blood on her forehead again. "I have a headache, but I think I'll be okay."

Jack looks slightly relieved, "That's good news, 'cause we don't have a med-kit." Beside Jack stands a tough looking woman with half of her long brunette hair pulled up in a hair-tie. "This here is Shazza." Jack gestures to the woman before turning to a graying dark-skinned man on the other side of Shazza. "And that's Zeke."

Rain gives a small nod to acknowledge the three, and they reach hands forward to help her up and out of the box. They steady her as she stumbles a little, and then move away to give her some space. After a few moments of rest, to let a wave of dizziness pass and catch her breath, Rain gives herself a once over and makes a few adjustments to her ensemble.

She shimmies her black short-shorts down a little and does the opposite to her black thigh-highs. Everything seems to have fared pretty well except for a few small scuffs in the suede of her black ankle boots. She glances over her shoulder down the back of her navy-blue shirt…_clean_. She checks her pockets…_empty. Hair's an awful mess, though._ She pulls a hair-tie from one wrist and pulls her shoulder-length, chocolate locks up off her neck and into a messy ponytail. Rain gives the inside of the metal and glass box she had awoken in a once over…_nothing inside._ Except for the skinny red ribbon wrapped and tied around her right wrist, there was nothing else left to her name. _Wearing red for good luck during your Chinese year must actually work; I'm still alive._ Rain silently thanks the tiny red ribbon and her friend from University that gave her the advice about wearing it. _Let's hope my luck can carry on._

"What's your name?" Jack had been observing her as she checked herself out. He hands her a piece of cloth and gestures at her head for her to wipe some of the blood away.

"I'm Rain. It's nice to meet you. Though not under these circumstances…," she trails off as she finishes, hands the cloth back to Jack, and looks around. "Are us four the only ones around?" She finally takes a moment to observe her new environment. Desolate, was the best word to describe the place. Bright suns, bare desert rock and sand, and not a cloud in the sky. _Charming. _The voice inside her head was thick with sarcasm.

"Oh! Of course," Jack exclaims, before grabbing Rain's wrist and dragging her towards the wreckage of some sort of aircraft nearby. She stumbles clumsily as Jack drags her up onto the wreckage, where a small group of others gather, talking; Shazza and Zeke are among them.

"It could have been a meteor storm. Might have been a rogue comet…I don't know."

Rain tunes the others out, not hearing the conversation around her, as she takes in the massive wreckage trailing behind the craft. _I was on this ship?_ _We survived from this? Dear god, I'm lucky to be alive._

A wave of weariness sends Rain staggering awkwardly from atop the ship, nauseous and pale. Giving a somber nod at Jack's questioning gaze, she goes in search for some relief from the disturbing sight of the crash. _I don't feel so good, anymore. _Rain slowly makes her way down and into the cavern of the aircraft's hull. She glances around at the interior damage around her, curious, before realizing she's not alone in the quiet, darkness. _Who?_

A man with a blindfold over his eyes, and a bit clenched between his teeth, sits bound to a beam in the middle of the room. Rain steps forward to get a better look. He's dressed in combat boots, cargos, a belt, and a wife-beater, all in varying shades of black, and he keeps his shaved head tilted down. His strong, muscular, body is built for fighting, and it makes her curious about his identity. _Why bound, blinded, and gagged? Is he dangerous? What the hell is going on in this place?_

The man's bound arms arch behind him around the beam, pushed high on a metal center console. _Isn't that painful?_ Rain takes another step forward in her observations, enticed by the tan skin stretched taught over thick muscle. She reaches out and brushes the back of his right forearm with two fingers; her mind gone blank to any possible danger of her actions. There's something about this man that calls to her. Rain shutters her eyes and slides more of her hand down his arm unconsciously. A whisper of some primal instinct encourages her to touch more of him.

Rain expects the man to react from her touch in some way, to pull back or tense, but he doesn't even flinch. Instead, he turns his head slowly towards her and tilts it slightly, even with the blindfold blocking his vision, as if he's peering through the cloth, trying to figure out what she is. Rain watches him breathe deep, his nostrils flaring; a sudden low rumble rolls through the room, emanating from the man seated before her. A flash of warmth spikes through Rain and the hair on her neck and arms stand on end. _Is he purring?_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! But I sure wish I did!

Thank you for reading! I'm so excited to see followers, favorites, and even a few reviews already! I'm going to try to get a new chapter out for you all every week, minimum, maybe even two a week if I can get enough reviews to motivate me to write faster. ;) Please Review!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 2**

Riddick had known that taking the ghost lane was risky. And something had gone wrong with their trip alright, just as Riddick had predicted. Too bad the "Blue-eyed Devil", Johns, hadn't gotten ghosted in the crash like so many of the others. Instead the fucker was resilient…_like a cockroach_.

Riddick's "animal-side", or inner beast, had been going crazy since before the crash of the Hunter Gratzner. His primal instincts had battled against the effects of cryo-sleep, staying in a state of constant semi-awareness for the entirety of the time leading up to the crash; but there was another reason for his riled beast to be pacing around inside him. There had been a change right before the crash of the ship, a change in the number of passengers boarded; a change in the fates. Riddick's beast has been unsettled ever since.

Riddick had been able to take advantage of the Hunter Gratzner's crash to get the jump on Johns after their impromptu landing; but lady luck had been a fickle bitch for him lately, and Johns had been able to beat him down. Now he sits gagged, bound, and blindfolded inside the wreckage of the Hunter Gratzner, where the Merc had stuck him after his semi-escape. Sitting in the quiet darkness, contemplating his next move for freedom, Riddick's inner instincts send him into sudden alert mode…_someone's coming_…and within moments, a sweet and feminine scent fills the room. _Female. Blood. Some exotic scent, unique to her. Yum. Perhaps lady luck has a little mercy in her after all._

Something deep inside Riddick shifts, as if his inner beast is stretching its limbs, unfurling, scenting, and perking its ears. It senses something different about this scent, this woman; something intoxicating that calls to the beast in him, the most primal part of him. It makes the beast rub its shoulder against the bars of its cage. _**Touch her. Take her. **_Riddick frowns and breathes deep through his nose, scenting her again. _**Mine. **_The beast inside is curiously possessive, and Riddick can't help the rumbling purr that emerges from his chest. _Interesting. _

Riddick manages to catch a glimpse of delicate feminine features in the gap of the cloth covering his eyes. _So this is her; the one that didn't board the ship with the others. Just appeared from nowhere__._

The woman seems just as mesmerized with him as he is with her, coming close and being brave enough to touch him. The beast is pleased and purrs louder, encouraging her, wanting her to touch more of him. _**Yes.**_

"He just escaped from a maximum prison."

The woman jerks her hand away from Riddick and spins around, startled at the unsuspecting voice of Johns as he appears behind her. The sudden arrival of an unwanted third party has the beast snarling in anger; angry at Johns catching him distracted with the female, bound and unable to get between them. The atmosphere of the small space turns tense when Riddick's purr chokes off into a low, dangerous, growl.

Johns ignores it and gives a cocky smile to the female. "The name's Johns, William J. Johns. And who might you be?"

"R-Rain. My name is Rain."

At the sound of Rain's voice, Riddick's beast gives an exuberant surge towards the bars of its cage, making him jerk unintentionally against his cuffs. A wave of heat shoots through his veins and gathers at his groin. _Down Boy._

Rain's eyes flick back to Riddick, at his movement, and Johns takes advantage of her distraction to take a step closer to her. _**NO! Don't let him touch her. **_Riddick has to fight hard for control from his beast, to stop his body from lunging at Johns and his growl from getting any louder. _Damnit, there's nothing we can do. We're fucking cuffed. _He tries to talk the beast down.

* * *

"What kind of name is Rain?"

"Uhh, it's a long story…so who is _he_?" Rain takes a step back from Johns in the limited space allowed her, preferring to get closer to the cuffed man; she gestures towards the man to give Johns something to focus on, other than herself. Something about the way Johns eyes her up and down, greatly unnerves her. _Gotta keep my eye on this one._

"Well that would Richard B. Riddick himself," John's grins proudly at her before turning his eyes to Riddick as if laughing at some inside joke.

_Am I supposed to know who he is? _"And why is he tied up?"

Johns' expression turns disbelieving, "You haven't heard of Riddick? What've you been living under a rock?"

Rain hesitates before lightly tapping the large bruise on her forehead, among the drying blood. "I dunno. I can't remember much of anything before the crash." A sudden wave of dizziness makes her vision dim and sends her clutching behind her. She half falls into Riddick, one hand twisting into his shirt, and he stays still to support her without protest. Johns moves forward to help her stand again, and a growl from Riddick makes him hesitate enough for Rain to get up on her own.

"Sorry," Rain whispers quietly to Riddick without looking at him, her eyes glued to the floor. _How embarrassing. _She has to concentrate hard to convince her hand to letting go of his shirt; after a few extra seconds, it finally cooperates. The heat in Rain's face is mortifying.

"So do we just keep him locked up forever?" Another survivor of the crash enters the small space and draws Johns' attention away from Rain and Riddick. Rain gives a relieved sigh and is able to finally move away from Riddick.

"Well, now that'd be my choice." Johns replies to the woman's inquiry.

"Is he really that dangerous?"

"Only around humans." Johns thinks himself funny. _Time to get out of here before I embarrass myself further._

Rain gives a quick nod as she moves past Johns and the blond woman, and back out into the sunlight.

* * *

In the time after Rain's embarrassing fall on Riddick, she was able to finally meet the rest of the ragtag band of survivors; other than Riddick, Johns, Shazza, Zeke, and Jack, there is Paris, Imam with his three Arab charges, and Carolyn, the docking pilot from the crashed ship. The how and why of Rain joining their group before the ship's crash remains a mystery to her, but she was able to get some of the others to fill her in on the ships info in the meantime. The name of the ship is the Hunter Gratzner, a merchant vessel that was headed to the Tangier system via the back road shipping lanes, before something had caused it enough damage to make it go down. When some of the group leaves to explore one of the ships' crashed cargo holds nearby, Rain chooses to follow them in the hopes of finding some more answers.

"Just great. I have very little tolerance for alcohol." Rain laments in a quiet voice at the discovery of Paris' stash, and their only source of drink.

"I'm gonna need a receipt for that, for all of these. This is my personal stuff." Paris gestures towards Johns taking a swig of one bottle.

"Mmm-hmm." Carolyn placates Paris and turns to chat with Imam and one of his charges as they stand at the entrance of the cargo hold.

Rain ignores them and picks her way around deeper into the messy room. _Is that?_ Rain spots a familiar brown backpack, overturned on a pile of miscellaneous junk, just barely visible in the dim light of the room. _My bag! How the hell did it get here? Why?_

Rain struggles her way over and snatches up the pack that usually doubles as her purse. She gives the rest of the room a fast once over to search for anything else of hers that might be around. _Nothing else I recognize. _She picks her way up and out of the cargo hold, past the others and their questioning looks, and into the open air. She quickly finds a spot in the shade, along the side of the hold, and sits to dig through the backpack.

_Why was it in the cargo hold with everyone else's luggage?_ The first thing Rain pulls from the bag is a small, leather wallet. Inside the wallet is Rain's license, about 26 dollars in cash, her library card, a few credit cards, and an assortment of random coupons. Rain sets the wallet aside and reaches in the bag again. Next comes out a blue cloth zip-case with a variety of things inside it: a nail maintenance kit, a mini sewing kit, some bobby pins, various hair ties, a flip-out hair brush, as well as a container of dental floss, some hand sanitizer, and a travel sized bottle of aspirin. _Yes, it's still in here! _Rain quickly pops the top of the bottle and takes a few pills, uncaring that they go down slowly. _Goodbye headache._

Reaching into the pack again, Rain comes out with a compact umbrella, and a half pack of gum. The last few things in the pack are her noise-cancelling headphones and her portable music player. _Sweet, at least I have some music for however long the battery life has left._ Rain stuffs everything else back inside of the pack, leaving the zip-case near the top for easier access to its more useful items. _Things are starting to look a little better. _Despite the thickening of the mysteries surrounding how she got here, Rain is feeling more optimistic as she slings her backpack on.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! I don't own much of anything, really.

Woohoo! More reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for reading! I'm amazed at the wonderful response I've received for my first Fanfic. Please continue to review! You guys are great! And Happy Easter to those that celebrate, this chapter is your Easter gift!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 3**

Rain reminds herself for the 'nth' time, to never again challenge the fates with future feelings of optimism. It seems that feeling optimistic encourages life to throw more difficult hurtles at her to keep her on her toes. The newest obstacles include the discovery of everlasting sunlight for the planet they had crashed on, as well as the escape of one Richard B. Riddick; though Riddick's escape doesn't really bother her. It's having Johns armed, tense, and in alert mode, that is alarming.

Rain absentmindedly caresses the small blade that she had chosen out of Paris's collection of antique weapons. Johns had insisted that everyone be armed; none of the others had the firepower that he did, though. She had found the 3-inch naked blade among Paris's collection, and cut a makeshift sheath from a piece of thick canvas she found in the crash debris. Rain then switched the red ribbon from her right wrist onto her left, and jammed the sheath of the blade beneath it, to trap the blade, hidden, against her left forearm. This allows her to draw the blade quickly with her right hand, as needed. Her only other option for storing it was her pockets, and pockets were never a good idea to reach for in tense situations. _Too predictable. _

When the group splits up, with half of them leaving in search of water, Rain opts to stay with the group that decides to hold down the fort and bury the bodies of the dead crash victims. Most of her decision is based on the fact that Johns is in the other group.

As Rain watches Johns' group disappear in the distance she takes her first swig of the bottle of wine that had been handed to her to make due until they return with water. It was the only other thing she had accepted from the others. Rain had opted out of one of the breathing devices that Shazza and Zeke had 'Macgyver'd' up. It's a small blessing that she seems immune to the feeling of "one-lung short" that the others are experiencing. _God this crap is strong. _Rain gives a shudder at the strong alcohol taste. _I hope they come back with water soon, or I'm gonna be drunk in no time._

* * *

Getting out of situations that others think impossible is a sort-of talent of Riddick's. While many of the crash survivors were busy exploring the nearby cargo hold for salvageable shit, Riddick was making use of one of his many talents. Escape. _Johns must be losing his touch, to make it so easy._

After ditching part of his cuffs in a false trail for Johns, Riddick headed away from the crash site with the light at his back. Discovering the graveyard of unknown giant creatures, and that the planet had another sun that kept him in constant daylight, didn't bother Riddick in the slightest. _Adapt to survive. _It was an opportunity to make a bone shiv, and glean some information from the group that chose to follow him; an opportunity, too, to test his beast against the scent of the blond woman. The way it had reacted to Rain earlier, with Johns around, was unsettling. Was it just her scent that gets the beast riled?

During a moment of rest for the group, among the vast graveyard, Carolyn is distracted by Johns and Riddick manages to cut a lock of her hair away to inspect. The beast's response to the scent of Carolyn's hair is disconcerting. It bares its fangs and turns its back, as if to say "She's not the right one. Her smell disgusts me", uninterested. _What the Fuck?_

_Fine, you want to see the other woman again? _The beast's response to his inner inquiry, about Rain, is almost startling. Its eyes light up and a surge of energy pushes Riddick to step in the direction of the old crash site. Riddick sighs and shakes his head, before giving in and leaving Johns' group behind; halfway eager to see Rain again as well.

* * *

"Leave the poor man alone, Jack." Rain had watched Jack startle Paris, and chuckles to herself; Jack grins at her in reply.

"You look a little unsteady on your feet, Rain." Jack abandons Paris and heads in Rain's direction.

"It's this damn alcohol; nothing else to drink." There's a noticeable slowness to Rain's speech, as if she's concentrating on each word in order to pronounce them correctly.

Jack gives a laugh. "Maybe you should sit down somewhere, or sleep it off."

Rain waves a placating hand. "Sure, sure," she soon finds herself back in the wreckage of the ship, at that same spot she had met Riddick, what seems like an eternity ago. _This place is just as good as any._ She sits in the spot Riddick had once been bound, curling herself up into a tight ball, after taking off her backpack to use as a pillow.

"Where are you now, Riddick?" She whispers aloud, drowzy.

_Great, alcohol makes me talk to myself. _Rain closes her eyes. _Maybe some rest will help my sanity. _

* * *

Riddick makes it back to the crash site with no issues. Once he arrives, however, one issue does arise. His beast refuses to do anything else until it's seen Rain again. _**Find her. **_Riddick is getting irritated at the demands of his inner. _Whatever._

He finds her inside the Hunter Gratzner, in the very same spot he had been bound just hours before. She's curled in a ball, using a backpack as a pillow, fast asleep. In the dim light of the room, he's able to take off his goggles and get a clearer look at her. She's a tiny little thing, probably only 160-165cm tall, with a waist he could probably grab with two-hands and still overlap a few fingers. _Nice legs, though, bet they'd wrap around me nicely. _His beast purrs approval and Riddick gives a smirk. _Lovin__'__ them thigh-highs._

Squatting down closer, Riddick reaches forward and tucks an escaped strand of her hair behind one of her slightly pointed ears. Between the ears, her angled eyes, and her small body, Rain is almost cat-like. _Perhaps her nickname should be kitten?_ Riddick studies her features, memorizing them, and calming his beast with her scent. He has the sudden urge to gather her sleeping form in his arms, and take the place of the backpack as her pillow; Riddick resists. _I ain't no fuckin 'sop. _He forces himself to get up and leave her there, his beast protesting the entire time.

* * *

Rain is awakened by the sound of distant screaming. Still half asleep, she yawns, stretches, and finally gathers her bag to find out what new terror has been thrown upon their group of survivors. Luckily, the alcohol induced haze of earlier has worn off. She exits into the sunlight, just in time to see Johns dragging a battered and near unconscious Riddick past her, and into the ship. _They caught him? What happened?_ A sinking feeling pulls at Rain's stomach. _They're not going to kill him, right? _She follows Johns as he finds a new spot to bind Riddick, not bothering with a gag or blindfold like before.

"Piece of shit." Johns spares no roughness as he secures a seated Riddick and storms from the room.

Rain hides in the shadows as Johns leaves, unsure if she should leave too. Helplessness tears at her and she fights to keep herself from getting closer to Riddick. Just as she's convinced her body to let Riddick rest alone, he's recovered enough to notice her presence. A startling flash of silver freezes Rain where she stands. It's his eyes.

"Beautiful." She speaks the words aloud, unknowingly, and the corner of Riddick's mouth quirks up.

"Why don't you come closer kitten, and get a better look." The deep gravel of his voice makes Rain hot and weak-knee'd. Her breath comes quicker as she unconsciously obeys him. Locking her eyes to his the entire time, she moves slowly in the dim-lighted room.

"Good girl." He purrs in that lovely voice of his. She feels like she could listen to him talk all day and never tire of hearing him. It clouds her mind and drags unfamiliar responses from her body.

"My name is Rain."

"I know darlin'. Pretty name. You can call me Riddick."

She's finally right in front of him, and she stops. He stands slowly, and with her this close it brings him pressed against the front of her, despite the bindings that pull his arms out to either side. It feels like a challenge, of a kind, and Rain looks down and away from Riddick's piercing gaze.

"Ah, thank you," she replies.

His answer to her thanks is a low rumbling noise from deep in his chest, and Rain can feel it where she's pressed up against him. Riddick leans forward and buries his face against Rain's neck, breathing deep. She can feel his lips graze her pulse and she carelessly tilts her head back to give him more access, her eyes shuttering closed. _Yes._

* * *

**A/N: (Insert girlish scream here) What's gonna happen next?! I'm just as excited as you are! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! But I spend a lot of time day dreaming about 'the Riddick'!

Ask and you shall receive, here's the newest update! :) Please continue reviewing, you people keep me going. Thank you!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 4**

Riddick flicks his tongue against the skin at Rain's neck, tasting her. _**Not enough. **_He opens his lips wider and pulls in more skin, sucking lightly. Her breathing hitches in response and she brings one hand up to lightly touch his waist. When he presses with his teeth she gives a luscious little gasp and the hand at his waist clutches into his shirt.

"R-Riddick?" Her whispered inquiry is a breathless sigh.

Riddick wants to taste more of her, wants to solve the mystery of whether her mouth tastes as sweet as her neck does, but he's forced to pull away when his inner instincts start ringing alarm bells. "Someone's coming, kitten. Get back in the shadows."

Rain is still half dazed and his words don't register at first. "H-Huh?" She pulls back a few centimeters and blinks slowly.

Riddick suppresses a smirk before rubbing his stubbled cheek against hers, to wake her up quicker. "Hide." His voice is firmer this time, and she finally jerks away, comprehending.

Riddick settles back in a seated position just as Rain reaches the shadows and the blond woman, Carolyn, enters.

"So where's the body?" Carolyn demands as she arrives. "…Well do you want to tell me about the sounds?...Look, you told Johns you heard something…that's fine. You don't want to talk to me, that's your choice, but just so you know…there's a debate right now as to whether we should just leave you here to die."

_This bitch is full of herself. Time to fuck with her._ "You mean the whispers?" Riddick interjects just as Carolyn is about to leave.

"What whispers?" Her curiosity sends her back around towards Riddick.

"The one's tellin' me to go for the sweet spot, just to the left of the spine, fourth lumbar down, the abdominal aorta." Riddick's mind flickers to Rain, hidden quietly in the shadows, and the taste of her neck. "It's a metallic taste, human blood. Copper-ish. If you cut it with peppermint schnapps, it goes away…"

"Do you want to shock me with the truth now?"

"All you people are so scared of me. Most days, I'd take that as a compliment. But it ain't me you gotta worry about now."

There is silence for a moment and then Carolyn speaks in a near whisper. "Show me your eyes, Riddick."

* * *

Carolyn's accusations of Riddick anger Rain, and it takes everything in her not to step from the shadows and start defending him. She finally gives in and steps forward when Carolyn demands to see his eyes. _She has no right to make demands of him._ Rain tries to convince herself that it's out of anger at Carolyn's treatment of Riddick, and not jealously at her newest, breathy demand, that makes her step forward.

Carolyn gasps at Rain's unexpected appearance, making Riddick open his eyes.

"Where the hell can I get eyes like that." This time its Rain's turn to gasp at the sudden appearance of someone. Jack stands back behind Carolyn, having entered a little after her. Rain had been so distracted in her anger that she hadn't noticed the newest presence. _Sloppy of me. But at least it's not Jack that's been killed._ Rain's starting to have a soft spot for the kid.

"You gotta kill a few people." Riddick replies to Jack's awe.

"Ok, I can do it." Jack's expression is eager.

"Then you gotta get sent to a slam where they tell ya you'll never see daylight again. You dig up a doctor, and you pay 'em 20 menthol Kools, to do a surgical shine job on your eye balls."

"So you can see who's sneaking up on you in the dark?"

"Exactly." The corner of Riddick's lips quirk up.

"Leave!" Carolyn's had enough of the banter, and startles Rain and Jack with her shouted interruption. The second command is softer. "Leave. Everyone out."

Jack leaves with a defeated expression, but Rain never even twitches toward the exit. Carolyn stares Rain down coldly and she gives expressionless eyes back in response. _No way is this chick ordering me around like she's in charge._

Riddick decides to break the silent stand off and draws Carolyn's attention back to himself. "Did I kill a few people? Sure. Did I kill Zeke? No. You got the wrong killer." _So it was Zeke._

Carolyn reluctantly drags her eyes from Rain and glares at Riddick. "He's not in the hole. We looked." _Hole?_

"Look deeper." Riddick's simple suggestion sends Carolyn spinning around angrily and storming from the room. Rain watches her go, and the silence after her departure is almost defining.

"So where were we, kitten?" Riddick drawls and Rain blushes as she suddenly remembers what happened before the others came in.

"Why do you call me that?" She quickly changes the subject as she finds somewhere to sit and get comfortable.

Riddick gives a grin. "Isn't that what you are? Fragile. Soft."

"Don't underestimate me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Riddick tilts his head, as if contemplating something, before speaking again. "Come 'ere."

"Ah, No thank you." Rain bites her lip and blushes again. Her eyes dart away quickly before meeting his again.

Riddick grins. "You afraid of me now?"

"No. It's because when I'm close to you I can't think." _You make my body do strange things._

Riddick's expression is back to serious, with his beautiful eyes never leaving Rain's. "Come here, Rain."

It's the first time he's ever said her name, and it sends an electric sizzle down Rain's spine. Her shoulders give a quick jerk and her breathing turns shallow. _What is it about this man that does these things to my body? _Her eyes are glued to Riddick and there's a glow in his eyes that leaves no room for arguments; so of course, she obeys.

Rain is halfway back to Riddick when Jack's voice calls into the room. "Hey, Rain, are you in there? Carolyn's going underground to try to find Zeke, if you wanna come watch."

The fog in Rain's mind momentarily lifts, and she grabs at a chance for escape. "Ah, of course, Jack. I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't wait for me." She hopes Jack doesn't notice the waver in her voice.

"Okay, no prob."

The sound of Jack's footsteps recede away.

"Don't go with them." Riddick's soft command is accompanied by piercing eyes and a grim expression.

Rain doesn't reply and takes a slow step back. _Why do I want to listen to him so bad? I don't trust this feeling. _Riddick's eyes harden when he sees Rain's indecision, a low growl emerging from his chest. _Time to get out of here now while I still can._ Rain turns away from Riddick, taking quick strides out of the room and not looking back; while her instincts scream inside her, that she's making a mistake.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! Please don't hate me!

I know this chapter isn't very long…but only a few of you gave reviews for Chapter 4. I need reviews to keep going, people, they are my fuel! Thank you to those that did review, favorite, and follow! If you keep up the good work, I'll make chapter 6 worth your while. *Wink*Wink* I'm talking about **SMUT**. ;D

Please Review!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 5**

After taking a few minutes to calm down her whirling mind, Rain steps outside just in time to see a frantic Carolyn, determined Johns, and anxious Jack, all asking each other questions at the same time. _Should I even bother to find out what happened? It can't be good news. _

"I don't know how many there were. It was dark, okay? Does it matter? We just need to get the hell off this rock as soon as we can." Carolyn shouts at the others as she storms away from them, and most of the arguing stops. Johns moves to follow after Carolyn.

"You know what? I think it's time for a long walk and some good music." Rain turns in a different direction from everyone else, swinging her backpack off her shoulders briefly to pull her music player and headphones from it.

Rain thumbs to her playlists and picks her favorite. As the top song starts, she closes her eyes and smiles. _Oh yeah, losing myself in some music is my greatest idea yet._

* * *

Riddick can't explain the anger, and almost helplessness, that overtakes him when Rain leaves. There's something dangerous in the darkness of this planet, and he wants her nowhere near it. The beast in him wants to punish her for disobeying him, for leaving his side and going where he can't protect her. Riddick jerks on his cuffs rhythmically, trying to dispel the anger and frustration.

It's about 20 minutes after Rain left that Johns makes an appearance. Riddick can tell that something else has happened.

"Finally found something worse than me huh?" Riddick begins.

"So here's the deal." Johns strokes the handle of his gauge as he gives his 'deal'. "You work without chains, without bit, and without shivs. You do what I say, when I say it."

"For what? The honor of going back to some asshole of a cell? Fuck you." _Johns' got some balls to think he can control me._

"The truth is…is I'm tired of chasing you."

_Yeah fuckin' right, you live for the chase, not fuckin' likely. _"Are you saying you'd cut me lose?"

"I'm thinking you could've died in the crash."

_Lies._ "My recommendation: Do me. Don't take the chance that I'll get shiv-happy on your wannabe-ass."

"Ok."

"Ghost me, motherfucker. That's what I would do to you." Riddick's newest angry outburst ends with Johns quick-drawing his gun and firing at the chains binding him; freeing him. _Stupid mistake._

"I want you to remember this moment. The way it could have gone and didn't. Here." Johns is still cocky as he holds out Riddick's goggles; but he's forgotten what Riddick is, how he's got his reputation, and in a smooth movement Riddick has commandeered Johns' gun and turned it on him. Johns is suddenly nervous, "Take it easy."

"FUCK YOU!" spits Riddick.

Johns' keeps his hands in the air the entire time his own gun is pointed at him, trying to make his voice placating. "Do we have a deal?"

Riddick narrows his eyes down the sight of the gun, appearing to think it over. _You ain't worth the ammo__._

"I want you to remember this moment." Riddick finally replies, dropping the gun, ripping his goggles from Johns' hand, and storming away.

* * *

Rain finishes her walk and arrives back at the Hunter Gratzner just in time to meet the rest of the survivors leaving it. _Wha…? _Carolyn and the holy man, Imam, lead the group and they nod to Rain as they pass her.

"You coming, Rain?" Jack calls out, approaching.

"Where's everyone going." Rain spins on her heel and starts walking beside Jack, lowering her voice to a whisper when she notices who brings up the rear of the group, "wait, Riddick's free?"

"Yeah, Johns says as long as he listens and helps, he won't be cuffed; they still won't let me talk to him, though. We're heading to the settlement they say is nearby to check out a ship. Fry says we might be able to use our power cells to get it running again, and get the hell outta here. Also it's where the water is." _Good, I don't want to get near-drunk again._

Rain gives a tentative glance over her shoulder and quickly turns back when she sees Riddick's goggled stare. "Ah, I see." _Oh shit, I'm in trouble._

Rain walks for a while beside Jack conversing about earlier events and how Zeke was found dead. _What a way to go. _Johns eventually drops back and joins them, his good 'ol boy charm laying on thick. "Where ya been Rain? Haven't seen much ah ya." Confident blue eyes meet nervous ones.

"Ah…I went for a walk. I kinda prefer to keep to myself." Rain moves a little closer to Jack and avoids Johns' eyes. _Please leave me alone._

"Hmm. Well if ya haven't heard, Riddick's been cut loose. But he and I have an understanding. If he gives ya any trouble you come to me, alright?" Johns tilts his head and brushes his hand against Rain's arm.

She shies away from his touch and replies, "uh..sure."

Johns gives her a smile and a nod, and then returns back to talk with some of the others in the group.

"What was that about?" Jack sounds confused.

"I have no idea." Rain sighs_._

* * *

_**That bastard Johns had the nerve to touch what's ours. **__And made us play pack mule. _Riddick broods silently, conversing with his beast. _**Find Her. Claim Her. She needs to be marked, to show him she is ours. **_Riddick had lost sight of Rain about an hour after arriving at the settlement; Johns had ordered him to help Carolyn and Shazza with the skiff, preventing him from following Rain. Now he's finally managed some time alone, though, and his beast urges him to use it to find her.

It doesn't take him long to catch her scent on the wind as he stalks through the compound. _**Yes.**_ A feeling of elation surges from the usually controlled beast. Riddick's stride gets faster as he turns and follows her trail. The scent gets stronger as he approaches an outbuilding that appears to be a housing complex of some kind. A side door to the building is left cracked open, and Riddick pushes his way inside. _She's definitely in here somewhere._

Her trail takes him to a kitchen that has been recently rifled through. A quick scan of the room shows the archaic remains of what was probably once a half-eaten meal left forgotten on the table in the middle of the room. _Someone left in a hurry. _A layer of sand and dust covers everything in the room, except where someone recently touched in search of something. _Rain in search of food, probably. _ Riddick continues on following Rain's sweet scent, heading through a door out of the kitchen and into a connecting room. There she is. She's curled on her side on a bed nestled in one corner of the bedroom, an empty container of some kind of dried food lies on the floor next to the bed. Her eyes are closed and her pack is beside her on the blankets, as if she was too tired after her snack to do anything but pull the dusty top blanket off the bed and collapse.

_It seems I find you sleepin more often than not, kitten. _Riddick prowls closer to the bed and kneels beside it. _**Mine.**_ A predator-like grin appears on his face.

"It's time to wake up, darlin'."

* * *

**A/N: Hmm...things are about to get a whole lot more interesting! **


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! But I would melt into a puddle if I ever met Vin in the flesh. :D

Thank you for the reviews, my darlings! Here's that chapter I promised you. Let me know what you think? Please continue to review! **WARNING! MATURE CONTENT AHEAD!**

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 6**

Rain is dreaming. Stuck in the dark on a strange planet, she's being hunted by a mysterious beast. Curiously, the beast seems to be connected to her by a red string coming out of her chest, where her heart would be beneath it. The string trails through the front of Rain's V-neck shirt, and away into the darkness. _Won't that make me easier to hunt? The beast just has to follow the string._ Rain exasperatedly starts tugging on the string to try to extract it; but to no avail. A shiver runs down her spine as a whisper of something circles around her, just out of sight; the beast.

_Oh god, please don't eat me. _Rain is tugging at the string frantically when something tackles her from behind. She throws her arms out to try to catch herself, opening her eyes wide and giving a strangled scream. The darkness lifts and the scene changes. Rain is on her back, lying on a mattress, with a masculine weight holding her down.

"Wha..?" Rain instinctively struggles to try to get away from the force bearing down on her; but he's too strong.

"Easy, kitten, I got you," his voice is low, to sooth her pounding adrenaline. Riddick sits on the bed at an angle, his feet still on the floor, with his body twisted to hover over Rain. Each of his hands holds one of her wrists, gently, to the mattress on either side of her head. "I got you. It was a dream."

"Riddick?" Rain finally regains her senses. She's not in darkness, there is no beast.

"In the flesh, honey."

"Oh, god." Rain sighs in relief and relaxes beneath him. "I was having the weirdest dream. I'm sorry."

"S'alright" Riddick loosens his hold on her, but doesn't pull away, keeping his torso half above her.

Rain's adrenaline-high descends and she becomes aware of how close Riddick still is. His callused palms circle her sensitive wrists, the hardness of his hip touches her side, and his goggles never waver from her face. _I wish I could see his eyes. _Rain gives in to her instincts, freeing one wrist from Riddick's grasp briefly, she reaches up and pulls Riddick's goggles to rest on his head. He sits still and lets her. Thankfully, the light in the room is dim enough for his sensitive eyes.

"Is there something you need, Rain?" His words are slow and thick, his eyes saying something silently; Rain sighs in return.

"Why do you look at me like that? Why do I like it so much when you touch me?" Her reply is barely a whisper.

"I don't know, kitten. There's somethin' inside me that says you are mine. I always trust my instincts, it's how I survive."

Rain gives a single nod, "so then, I'm yours?" This time it's Riddick's turn to nod.

"Good," before she can lose her nerve, Rain surges her upper body forward and presses her lips to Riddick's. _I've been wanting to do this since I first saw him._

* * *

Riddick is stunned at Rain's bold move. _The little minx is brave. _His beast purrs with joy deep inside him. He swiftly takes charge of the kiss, releasing one of Rain's wrists to bury his hand in her hair and cup the back of her head. Riddick tangles her hair between his fingers and grips tightly, using it as leverage to press her lips hard with his tongue, gaining entrance.

Rain gives a gasp at the pull in her hair and he's suddenly dominating her mouth, all she can do is mewl in response and twist her fingers into the coverlet beneath her.

_She tastes good. Just as sweet as I thought she would be. _Riddick kisses her like a drowned man, with lips and teeth and tongue, never taking his hands from her hair and her wrist; dominating with his mouth. He finally eases off and pulls back when Rain grabs his bicep with her free hand and drags her nails down it. She gasps for much needed breath as he takes a moment to gaze at her lust clouded eyes and disheveled hair. _Beautiful._

* * *

Things are hastily spiraling out of Rain's control as she tries to focus her muddled brain. _We should probably slow down, right? _Riddick's mouth is back at work, moving down her neck, sucking and biting lightly, while someone faraway makes little eager noises. _Is that me?_ A sting of teeth on her collarbone is soothed by a hot tongue, and Rain's brain takes another dive.

"Please." Rain doesn't know what she's pleading for as she runs her hands across whatever of his skin she can find, arms, shoulders, scalp, suddenly frantic.

"I know, baby," Riddick murmurs. _Good, at least one of us does._

Riddick releases Rain's wrist and slides his hand between her back and the mattress, pulling her up tight against his chest as he climbs the rest of the way onto the bed, on his knees, with Rain vertical against him. He then slides the hand from her back down to one of her thighs to hike it up high around his hip; Rain instinctively shifts her other leg around his other side to match, straddling him, with her legs curled behind him.

Riddick finally releases the hand from her hair to help grip her hips and guide her tight against him. Rain presses the pooling heat between her thighs against the thick, clothed, hardness of him beneath her, and Riddick helps her start a deep circling rhythm with her hips; forwards and back, forwards and back.

"That's it, just like that," he encourages.

Rain steadies herself with one hand on each of Riddick's biceps, pressing her forehead tightly against his neck, keeping the brisk pace he's set for her.

"…uhhnnn…please, Riddick…please…," Rain strains against him as she grasps for that far away pleasure, panting softly, incoherent. Everything else has fallen away, and it's just her, him, and the throbbing pulse where they press together. "…ah…I can't…"

"Shh, baby, it's okay." He thrusts his hips up into her as much as he can with the clothes between them. "Just let it go."

"…oh god… so close…please," Rain wraps one arm tightly around the back of Riddick's neck, quickening her pace.

"Yeah? Good girl. Come on kitten, cum for me." He growls against her ear, and she can't help but shatter apart, keening her release into his neck and clawing her nails into whatever skin she can.

"Uhhhnnn….AHH….god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…"

Riddick gives her a few more lazy thrusts, slowing her ride gradually before holding her tightly. "You okay, darlin'?" He whispers anxiously into her hair.

Rain is still dazed from her orgasm. All the tension that had been building from that first moment she found herself on the Hunter Gratzner, until now, had finally exploded into an exhilarating moment of passion with convict and murderer, Richard B. Riddick. And he didn't even cum, so she had basically just used him.

"Oh god, I'm a terrible person." She murmurs against Riddick's shoulder, her body has turned to jelly. _What just happened?_

A low rumble starts deep within Riddick, building slowly louder before bursting forth as a deep roaring laugh. Rain can't hide her embarrassment at his amusement, her face bright red. _What's so funny?_

"Oh kitten, you are far from it. That was fuckin' sexy as hell. When can we go again?"

Now it's Rain's turn to laugh, "So eager to be used?"

"If it's gonna be anything like what happened moments ago, then hell yes." Riddick gives her a sexy leer. "Can there be less clothing involved next time?"

_Hell yes! _Rain pulls from Riddick's arms and crawls off the bed. She's still feeling good from her pleasant experience and she decides to have fun and mess with him a little. Leaning forward, Rain pulls the blade stashed beneath her backpack and fastens it back to its usual spot at her wrist. She had taken it off and stored it there for safety, before she fell asleep. _With the grip he'd had on my wrist earlier, it's a good thing I hadn't been wearing it._ The blade might have found its way through its makeshift sheath.

Straightening the wrinkles from her cloths, Rain snatches up her final item, her backpack, before turning her back on Riddick's raised eyebrow. She throws a flippant remark over one shoulder as she moves toward the door. "Hmm…I'll think about it."

Riddick growls and makes a lunge for her, but she evades, laughing, as she darts out of the room.

* * *

** A/N: Is it sexy enough, so far? Please Review and tell me what ya think! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! Please don't sue me!

I am glad to have had so many positive reviews! Thank you for reading! Please continue to review, and I will promise to make you happy with more Riddick and Rain alone moments!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 7**

"Fuck, where you goin'? I ain't done with you, kitten." Riddick jumps from the bed and follows after Rain, his tone only half joking.

The pleased, carefree smile on Rain's face makes up for the distracting throb between Riddick's legs, but only temporarily. _I got more plans for you, babe__._His beast rumbles a halfhearted agreement, satisfied with the way things are progressing in the meantime.

"I think I hear Johns calling your name." She heads for the exit outside. "And I'm parched after sippin' nothing but wine for a while. They've probably got more water by now, right?"

Riddick grumbles under his breath as he follows her. Now that he's not as distracted, he can hear Johns' voice too. They find him standing outside a building marked as the 'coring room'. As they watch, he pulls off a tarp half hanging on the buildings' roof, to uncover Jack hidden beneath it. Jack is sporting a newly shaved head and a pair of half broken goggles. Jack's hero worship of Riddick seems to have gone to the next level. _Cute._

"Where's Riddick, kid?" Johns demands with a glare up at Jack.

Jack doesn't reply, and gives a very 'Riddick'-like head-tilt, instead.

"Here." Rain interrupts their standoff, and Johns spins around.

"Where you all been?" His voice is irritated as he gives first Riddick, then Rain, a thorough once over. _Fuck you, and keep your eyes off my kitten. _The beast inside Riddick's mind crouches low and growls.

Riddick replies with silence, moving partially in front of Rain as she answers Johns, "Just checking the place out. Did you need something?"

Johns stares them down before answering, reluctant to believe Rain's explanation. "Paris and Imam's group got the water working better. We're all gettin' together. Come on." He gestures with one hand before stalking away.

* * *

Rain follows Johns slow enough for Jack to catch up with her and Riddick before they enter the building where the group has gathered. _Jack looks like a miniature Riddick, adorable__._ The reactions of the others at the sight of Jack are priceless. Lots of raised eyebrows and meaningful looks tossed around.

"It's the winner of the look-alike contest." Paris comments playfully.

Rain can't help but smile as she passes Jack, moving to grab one of the glasses of water on the table in the center of the room. Riddick follows her example before moving to an empty doorway on one side of the spacious room. He keeps one eye on the group as he uses some of his water to clean the grime off his goggles. _He's so aloof around everyone else__.__ Avoiding interaction unless necessary. Like me._

Paris and Shazza strike up a conversation about the settlers that used to be here, guessing that they had been geologists.

"Nice of them to leave so much stuff here," Carolyn interjects. "Why'd they leave their ship?"

"It's not a ship, it's a skiff. And it's disposable, really." Johns adds from where he's reclined back in a chair with his feet propped up in front of him.

"It's more like an emergency life raft, right?" Paris, this time.

Shazza sits down before adding her two cents. "Yeah, they probably had a big drop ship take them off planet."

Riddick seems to have heard enough. "These people didn't leave. Come on. Whatever got Zeke, got them. They're all dead." He pauses for dramatic effect, and to put his goggles back on, everyone's eyes on him. "You don't really think they left with their clothes on the hooks, photos on the shelves." _He has a good point._

Shazza holds a secret belief that Zeke's death is still somehow Riddick's fault. Her reply is almost angry, "maybe they had weight limits. You don't know."

Riddick's reply is immediate, "I know you don't prep your emergency ship unless there's a fuckin' emergency."

"He's fuckin' right." Jack tries to imitate Riddick's low voice and vulgarity. _Oh my god, can Jack be any cuter?_

"Watch your mouth." Johns reprimands Jack.

"Hey, he's just saying what we're all thinking." Carolyn stares into space, thinking. She finally turns to Riddick, "so what happened? Where are they?"

Riddick opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, Imam bursts into the room and draws everyone's attention. _Wow,_ _I hadn't even noticed him leave, I need to pull myself together and focus. _

"Has anyone seen the little one? Ali?"

Riddick finally answers Carolyn, and unknowingly, Imam as well, "has anyone checked the coring room?"

An ominous scream slices the tension of the room. Rain's heart skips a beat in worry._ Was that Ali? _Imam calls out Ali's name as he darts from the room. The rest of the group clambers to follow Imam.

* * *

When Rain tries to scramble after the others, to help search for Ali, Riddick holds her back with a swift grip on her wrist. _What is Riddick's fascination with grabbing my wrists?_

"Let them go ahead. There's nothing we can do." He keeps his hold firm, but not hurting.

"B-But…" Rain starts to protest, cutting it short when Riddick backs her against the wall and cages her in with his arms. _Does everything have to be about intimidation with this man? Wow, he's tall. Focus, Rain, focus._

"We need to have a little discussion of our own first, darlin'. I need a few answers." Riddick pushes his goggles up and stares her down. In the distance they hear Johns fire two shots, and Rain forces herself to stay focused on Riddick.

"Ah, well, okay, about what?" She nibbles on her lower lip, nervous, and Riddick's eyes flick to them briefly.

"To start, how did you get on the Hunter Gratzner? Where are you from? Because when I was marched onto that ship with Johns' gauge at my back, you weren't there. I smelled all the others, 'cept you."

_That's a very good question. _"Ah, that. I actually don't know how I got there." At the narrowing of Riddick's eyes, Rain pushes on. "Um, in fact, where I come from, space travel isn't even a commercial thing."

Riddick continues to stare at her, silent, and Rain starts to get nervous.

"I'm just a student, you know? Senior level undergrad, at my local University, I want to be a psychologist. I work the nightshift at a hospital, answering phones. I live alone, talk to my mom maybe once a month or something. I'm a recluse, a nobody. No siblings, few friends, and very little money to my name. I have no idea what I did to get me here. I don't even know where here is." Rain finally finishes rambling. _God, he probably thinks I'm crazy__._

Riddick lets a moment of tense silence pass before continuing. "Another question. What year were you born?"

"Uh…1990?" _Why does that matter? _Rain is exasperated and confused.

Riddick looks thoughtful as he pulls away and begins pacing. "Hmm. Over five hundred years."

"What? Five hundred years?" Rain runs a hand through her hair and tugs it free from its tie. "I'm so confused right now. Do you know what's going on?" _Please tell me._

"Not really." Riddick stops his pacing. "Last question. Back at the crash site, when you first saw me and Johns interrupted, he asked you about your name. Tell me what it means." It was more of a demand, than a question.

Rain raises her eyebrows. "You want to know the story behind my name? It really is a long story."

"Tell me anyway." Riddick insists.

"Um..okay. But can I ask you a few questions first?"

"Hit me." He gives a bored look.

"When you say you smelled who got on the Hunter Gratzner, what does that mean?"

"Exactly like I said. I have a strong sense of smell, and nearly everything has a scent. Sweat, blood, objects, even strong emotions." _That's kinda cool__._

"You told Jack you had a shine job, and can see in the dark. Do you still see color the same as the rest of us?"

"No. My color range is limited. Mostly shades of purple."

When he doesn't elaborate, Rain continues. "So you'll never see the other colors again? Can you reverse the shine?"

"Too many mercs on my neck, to want to reverse it. There are lenses and filters out there that can fix the color issues, for the right price."

_Then it would be all the benefits with none of the disadvantages. Nice. _"I see. Final question: Did it hurt to get it done?"

Riddick replies with quirk of his lips and silence.

"Ah, right, no comment. So, the story behind my name, well, I originally come from a small town, a large farming community. My grandfather, my mother's father, was the biggest farmer in the area of our little town. His farm kept our community afloat with its revenue every year. Except one year, the summer my mama was going to give birth to me, there was an epic drought like our town had never seen before. Weeks turned into months with not a storm cloud in sight, and everyone suffered. They used irrigation to get some water to the crops in the beginning, but after a while the rivers just got too low and there was nothing they could do. They had lost hope for any sort of recovery, until the day my mother gave birth to me. The day the drought finally broke. My mama told me that after they took me out of her, and I screamed my first scream, drops of rain came down on the windows of her room, and a downpour started. She said I brought the rain with me, and she forgot whatever else she would have named me, and named me 'Rain' instead. A farmer's life depends on the rain, you know. It's their saving grace."

Rain braces for insult at the end of her story. _Please don't make fun of my name._ But when Riddick steps up, it's to brush her forehead with his lips, a whisper of a touch, and say, "then it's a fitting name for you."

* * *

**A/N: Do you have more questions than answers after this chapter? Me too! Review, Review, Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! Well, I mean I own a personal copy of the movie, but that's it, I swear. No, you can't borrow it. :P

I struggled to write this chapter for some reason. :( I hope it flows together alright. Thank you for reading and reviewing, I really feel the love. :D Please keep them coming! You guys are great.

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 8**

Rain finally learns what happened to Ali. He had found his way into the locked coring room and encountered some of the same creatures that had gotten Zeke. Johns had had to fire two shots to get the coring room doors open; they had been locked from the inside. _Ominous. _By the time they had found Ali, he was an unrecognizable lump of flesh mauled to death by the creatures. Imam and his remaining charges buried him among the rocks outside in a brief funeral service.

Johns, Carolyn, Shazza, Riddick, and Rain explored the coring room after Imam took Ali's body away. They finally solved the mystery of what happened to the settlers that had once been here. The settlers had gathered in the coring room, and the monsters in the caves underground had come from below to get them. The settler's skeletons litter the well-like hole that descends from the coring room's center. They had never stood a chance. _What does that say about our chances?_

Neither of these discoveries was the most disturbing, however. No, the most disturbing discovery comes when Carolyn makes the connection between the 22 year old coring samples the settlers last took, and the working model of the planets solar system she found. As she turns the model around to click into the 22 year position, the planet in the middle shifts into darkness.

Carolyn barely whispers, "An eclipse."

_An eclipse? Here? _Rain stands between Riddick and Johns, Imam nearby, witnessing Carolyn's discovery on the miniature model. She holds her breath in dread as Carolyn straightens. _Those things underground live in darkness; they'll be able to come aboveground during the eclipse. This must be what happened 22 years ago, and the settlers all died._

Riddick breaks the grim silence with a sarcastic smile at Carolyn, "you're not afraid of the dark are you?"

Carolyn shoots a dirty look at Riddick as she passes by him, storming from the room. Johns follows after her with a sigh.

"I'll break the news to the others." Imam leaves as well, and Rain and Riddick are left alone.

Rain can't seem to wipe the frown from her face. _Did I do something bad in a previous life? _

"What are you thinking about?" Riddick crosses his arms and leans back against the wall behind him, thoughtful.

"Just wondering what I did to deserve being thrown onto this hell hole with you lot." Rain sighs and half smiles.

Riddick laughs in reply. "What, you ain't enjoying my company?"

* * *

Riddick observes Rain's reaction closely after his comment. Several expressions war across her face before she settles with an amused reaction, quirking her lips and giving a mischievous reply.

"I 'enjoyed' it just fine when you came and woke me earlier. Is that answer enough?"

Riddick gives a deep laugh, tossing his head back toward the ceiling briefly. _You are just too amusing to leave alone, kitten._ _I'm gonna keep you for a long, long, time. _Riddick's thoughts sober up to the present and he frowns, good mood fading away. _But we need to survive this place, first. _

"There's something I want you to do for me, darlin'." Riddick speaks low, to grab Rain's attention, pausing to make sure she's listening. "Serious shit is going to happen around here 'fore too long. When it hits the fan, I want you stay close to me. Don't trust any of the others, and stay far away from Johns. Can ya do that?"

Now Rain is frowning, "but don't we need the others to get outta here? For the ship?"

Riddick uncrosses his arms and strides towards Rain, growling quietly. "No. You only need me. Johns is a spineless merc who'd kill his own grandmother if it could get him his next payday. The others follow him, and that makes them ignorant. Only trust me." His last three words are spoken slowly, with emphasis, as he towers over Rain from above; his eyes ask her to obey.

Rain turns her head to the side, baring her neck to Riddick's anger and instinctually submitting; her reply is barely a whisper. "Only you."

Riddick's inner is pleased, preening. _**Good. **__Then we can protect you properly._

* * *

Rain stands before Riddick in quiet stillness, eventually turning her face up to peek at him, curious. He has a strange look in his eyes as he asks his next question. "Are you afraid of me?"

"No." Her reply is sure, without question. _He's asked me that before. __Should__ I be afraid?_ Something inside Rain tells her, that above anyone else, Riddick is trustworthy. _Only him._

"Good." Riddick jolts forward, slamming his lips to hers harshly, stealing a kiss, but with him as the aggressor this time. He takes her breath, making her lightheaded. _Were we just talking about something important? I don't remember…_Rain kisses him back, opening her mouth to do battle with his tongue.

When Riddick pulls away, it's to set his mouth at Rain's throat. He presses with teeth, and a thrill runs through her. His hands slide up her arms, his fingertips going into the short sleeves of her shirt, finding as much skin as they can as he pulls her closer.

"Ah, w-wait, the others." Rain hesitates. _What if one of the others returns?_

"What about them?" Riddick's voice is low, deep, aroused. _Sexy. _"I didn't hear any protests earlier, when you had them pretty thighs of yours wrapped around me tight. It was more like: 'Uhhhnnn', 'Please, Riddick'," Riddick imitates Rain's breathless voice, gasping her own expressions back to her, his lips pressed against her ear.

_OH MY GOD! _Rain jerks out of Riddick's arms in a surge of embarrassment, her face cherry-red. _YOU__'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO REPEAT THAT__! _"Ah…I think I heard someone call my name just now." Rain grumbles incoherently, almost tripping as she makes a speedy exit, avoiding Riddick's gaze. _MUST ESCAPE!_

Riddick's booming laughter follows her outside.

* * *

Rain sulks through the compound with her mind in turmoil, licking her figurative wounds._ Damn you Riddick! How do you get under my skin so easily? _She walks distractedly for a while, enjoying some much needed alone time. When Rain spots a sickly looking Johns in the distance, stumbling from the direction of the skiff, she does a 180 to avoid him. _I don't even want to know._

Rain finally manages to calm her mind, and convince herself not to die of mortification, just as a commotion starts up from the remaining Arab boys. They pass by her, yelling for the 'Captain'._ What is it now? _

Rain learns the cause of the uproar when she joins Imam, Jack, Shazza, Paris, and Carolyn, standing in the open, staring at the horizon. There's a wave in the distant atmosphere as the rings of a planet peek over the skyline, followed closely by the planet they encircle.

The eclipse has started, and it's moving fast.

"What are my eyes seeing?" Paris is unbelieving.

Shazza is the first to remember urgency. "If we need anything from the crash ship, I suggest we kick on. That sand cat's solar."

Shazza's comment triggers a sudden scurry to get everyone together on the sand cat; they need to get last minute things at the crash site and the all-important power cells for the skiff. Rain hops on the cat, choosing a spot beside Paris.

"Where's Riddick?!" Jack is frantic. _Good question!_

"Leave him. He wouldn't wait for us," is Paris's reply. _What!?_

* * *

Riddick jumps onto the sand cat from the roof of a nearby building, startling everyone on board as he lands. Rain gives him a relieved smile, and he winks at her. _She's here, good__._

"Thought we'd lost you." Paris is nervous as he scurries away from Riddick. _Funny._

Everyone but Johns, is now accounted for. Shazza calls out for him, as she gets the sand cat moving, and he appears at the last possible second. He reaches his hand out to the cat as it passes, and Riddick catches it, pulling him on board. _He made it just in time. Too bad. _Riddick releases Johns, moving to sit beside Rain.

The ride to the crash site is rocky and rough. Shazza's driving leaves much to be desired. At one point, Jack and some of the others nearly get knocked off the back of the sand cat. Riddick takes the opportunity to wrap an arm around Rain and steady her; his beast rumbling. _**Keep her close.**_

Johns is the first off the cat when they arrive at the Hunter Gratzner. Riddick follows, but only after motioning for Rain to stay. Inside the crash ship he grabs two of the cells, leaving the others to get the rest. Riddick drops the power cells onto the back of the sand cat, stepping aside for Johns and Imam to drop theirs.

"Shit." Shazza mumbles as she tries to keep the sand cat running; but it's too late. The eclipse has progressed too far. Something crows ominously in the distance, and the group freezes, watching helplessly, as gloom descends. _Now the real fun starts._

In the distance, creatures ascend into the sky out of the open dirt spires leading from the underground caves. They begin to flock together, moving in waves, upward, like a swirling cyclone of living flesh.

"How many are there?" Johns' voice is unsteady.

Riddick ignores him. "Beautiful."

Paris' voice interrupts from far away, where he stands at the door of the cargo hold. "People, just a suggestion, but perhaps you should flee!"

The group springs into action at Paris' prompt, Carolyn in the lead, "Let's go!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black; except, perhaps, in my dreams!

This fic now has over 100 followers! I'm so excited! Thank you all for finding my fic worth reading, following, favorite-ing and reviewing. I love reading all your reviews the most, so please, please continue. :D This chapter has a few more of my dry humor moments in it, hope you like it.

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 9**

Rain is one of the last people to get off the sand cat and make the dash for the cargo hold; only Riddick and Shazza are behind her. _Oh man, I need to do more cardio. _She's panting after only seconds of running.

Jack and Carolyn, are the first to reach Paris at the cargo hold. They turn to watch Shazza, Riddick, and Rain, bringing up the rear.

Carolyn suddenly screams, "Get down!" And before Rain can process how to respond, she's being tackled from behind into a nearby trench. _Ouch. _Shazza rolls to a stop, somewhere to her right, so it must have been Riddick that tackled her. _Why is this so familiar?_

Riddick presses down on top of Rain, his chest to her back and his face in the crook of her neck. He shields her as a group of the creatures fly overhead, screeching, narrowly missing them in the trench. _Those things are fast._ Rain tries to distract herself from fear, thinking about the delicious weight of Riddick against her back. _Now is probably not the time for that__._

There's silence after the creatures have passed and Rain can feel her pulse pounding like a living thing trapped in her throat, clawing to escape. Riddick's heart beats steady against her back. _He's so calm._ _Shouldn't we continue running now? Why isn't he getting up? _Rain struggles, trying to remind Riddick to let her up, to get moving again.

"No." Riddick growls in her ear and doesn't budge an inch, flicking his tongue briefly against Rain's neck to settle and distract her. "Not yet."

Apparently Shazza hasn't gotten whatever memo Riddick has, because she jumps up and runs, leaving him and Rain behind.

"Stay there! Stay down, Shazza! Just stay down." Jack can be heard shouting in the distance.

From underneath Riddick, Rain can't see what happens when Shazza leaves the trench, but she can hear the 'whoosh' of the creatures as they bypass her and Riddick a second time, followed by Shazza's screams of agony. _Oh no,_ _Poor Shazza._

* * *

Riddick finally lets Rain up when the creatures are no longer an imminent threat. He helps her stand while keeping an eye out for new dangers. _** Still not safe here. Get to the hold**__**.**_ Riddick agrees with his beast, linking his hand with Rain's, he pulls her towards the cargo hold.

Paris is just disappearing inside when they arrive, leaving Carolyn, Riddick, and Rain the last ones left. They pause for one final look around.

Riddick pushes his goggles up to better see in the dark. In the distance, the dirt spires crumble apart as bigger versions of the things that tore Shazza apart, break out and fly free. They make strange sounds, deep, almost zebra-like braying, as they branch out into the sky.

"What is it Riddick? What is it now?" Carolyn doesn't have the benefit of shined eyes. _You don't want to know._

"Like I said, it ain't me you gotta worry about."

* * *

Rain is half in shock, overwhelmed, when she stumbles into the cargo hold. _Poor Shazza. What a horrible way to die. _Johns clicks on a light to fill the small space and Rain's able to make out the faces of those around her. They aren't much different from hers; sorrow, worry, fear. Only Riddick is different; stoic, determined, strong.

"She should've stayed down. If she only would have stayed down, she'd be okay. She wouldn't have died." Jack seems just as much in shock as Rain.

"You remember the boneyard? These just might be the fuckers that killed every living thing on this planet." Johns isn't encouraging.

"What are we gonna do now?" Jack's voice wavers.

Paris interrupts as he manages to get his lighter going. "Are these the only lights we have? I-I-Is this everything?"

"No, there's a cutting torch on the floor here somewhere. I just can't find it." Carolyn is calm and collected, holding a strong front as the 'captain', but still showing fear in her eyes.

"Quiet! Please everyone." Imam silences the group and moves to press his ear against the metal wall of the room. Jack and some of the others follow his example. The creatures outside can be heard wailing.

"Why do they do that? Make that sound?" asks Jack.

"Perhaps, it's the way they see?" Imam replies. "With sound reflecting back..." A sudden crunch of metal from somewhere in the hold interrupts Imam. All eyes begin searching for the source of the sound. Rain moves closer to Riddick. _This day just keeps getting better._

"Could be a breach in the hull. I don't know." Carolyn steps forward, unsure.

"Come on, Johns." Riddick finally speaks. "You got the big gauge."

"I'd rather piss glass. Why don't you go fuckin' check."

"I'm not staying here for one more second." Paris abruptly panics, pushing past Johns and struggling with Imam, sending the room into an uproar.

Rain stands helplessly beside Riddick, uncertain what to do as Carolyn, Johns, Imam, and Paris shout and struggle with each other. They manage to get Paris under control just as Imam wrests open a door further into the cargo hold; the group is urged through, with Paris being halfway pushed. Rain, Riddick, and Imam bring up the rear. The next room is small and cramped.

"Now we're trapped in a much smaller space. I hate this!" Paris' whining is starting to grate on Rain's nerves. _Shazza died, and this guy gets to live?_

Imam ignores Paris and hurriedly locks the door up behind them. He leans back to rest against it with a relieved sigh, when, without warning, a blade-like spike comes through the metal beside his head. He scrambles away with a yell, and pandemonium breaks through the group. Imam clambers to grab something to defend himself with, Paris stumbles around pulling at Jack and whomever he can reach to put between himself and danger, and Johns is anxiously firing his gauge in all directions. Rain is overwhelmed by the brouhaha. She slaps her hands over her ears, slams her eyes closed, and crouches down, trying to metaphorically bury her head in the sand. _Why is this happening? This is insanity!_

Rain only opens her eyes when she feels heavy hands on her. It's Riddick, hunched down next to her, gently stroking her face and looking worried. The flash of his silver eyes helps Rain regain her focus. _Right. _

"We need to keep moving," Riddick croons. He helps Rain up and pulls her behind him, towards a hole in the wall. In her earlier panic, she must have missed Riddick using the cutting torch to make the hole.

Carolyn and the others notice Riddick and Rain leaving, and quickly move to follow. Once everyone is through the hole, they pile whatever they can find to block the impromptu entrance. This new room is the biggest one yet, full of large cargo making paths leading in several directions. The group spreads the light out and tentatively begins to explore, leaving Rain and Riddick standing alone near the blocked entrance.

Riddick holds either side of Rain's face, searching her eyes with his, looking troubled. He releases her name on a breath, barely audible. "Rain."

Rain slams her eyes down, trying not to let emotion overcome her. _Not fair. _"Don't." She whispers back to Riddick. "If you keep looking at me like that, I might cry."

"You're in shock."

"It's fine."

A low growl rumbles from Riddick, "It's not."

Rain slides her hands up over Riddick's; pressing his hands down harder against her cheeks and clenching her eyes tighter. "Just give me time. I'll be alright."

"Tell me. Don't keep it inside."

She struggles with herself for a moment, her face showing her turmoil, before finally mumbling to him, "I've never heard someone scream like that before." _Shazza. _Rain can't get Shazza's death out of her mind. _Am I going to scream like that when one of those things finally gets me?_

Riddick reacts as if he's heard her thoughts; growling and pulling her closer. "That won't happen to you. I'll keep you safe."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Riddick." Rain can't help the tremble in her voice.

"No!" Rain jolts her eyes open at Riddick's outburst, and he's finally able to stare her down. "I always keep my word. Have trust in me; only me, remember? You'll survive this, even if it costs me everything to get you through."

Rain feels as if the blood has frozen in her veins. _Not that. _"No. Both of us; we both have to survive this together. I'm not going anywhere without you. I'm yours, remember?" She wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his chest as she squeezes him tight.

"Yes." Riddick presses his lips to Rain's forehead, embracing her back and inhaling the scent of her hair. "Mine."

The two aren't broken out of their private moment until a strangled scream is choked off somewhere in the nearby darkness. _Oh, god, who's dead now?_

Riddick pushes Rain behind him as Johns, Jack, Paris, and Carolyn come running from one of the pathways to join them. They combine their two groups together, with Rain and Jack in the middle, and shine their lights throughout the compartment, searching for those remaining. Imam comes running out of the darkness, looking pale and worried, followed by one of his remaining Arab boys.

"Where's Hassan? Hassan!" Imam yells into the hold for the last missing member of their group.

One of the creatures brays into the darkness in reply. Riddick nudges Carolyn and tilts his head to the wall on their left. "Torch."

"Shit." Carolyn follows Riddick's advice and starts using the cutting torch to make another escape route.

Something moves in the darkness just outside their roving lights, spooking Johns and provoking him into firing his gauge. There's a tense moment after he finally stops firing, when Carolyn finishes carving the hole and drags the light back to the group, alert. One of the creatures falls from above, suddenly startling everyone as it lands nearly on top of them. _Holy crap, Johns actually hit one of 'em. _

"Is it alive?" Carolyn moves the torch light closer to the unmoving creature, for a better view. Its skin begins to bubble and boil in the light.

"It's like the light is scalding it." Paris whispers.

Carolyn is astonished. "It hurts them. Light actually hurts them."

New sounds are heard from the darkness on the other side of the creature, and the group brings their light back up.

"Is that Hassan?" Imam sounds hopeful.

Johns has no sympathy as he heads for their new exit and kicks out the metal blocking it. "We'll burn a candle for him later. Come on, let's get outta here."

_And another one bites the dust._


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black! Now I'm sad.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading! I am very happy that so many love my story. You all give me warm fuzzies. :D Keep them Reviews coming, please!

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 10**

Riddick ignores the back and forth discussion of the group as they toss around info on what light remains and what options they have left. Everyone is gathered in the cargo hold, in the meager light of the cutting torch, sitting and standing in its relative safety as they talk. Riddick stays on the outskirts, in the background, standing behind Rain as she stares into empty space; his only focus is her. _She__'s __still a little shocky. _Riddick's attention is finally focused on the others when Rain shifts towards Johns, tense. She sits halfway between Johns and Carolyn; Riddick and his beast don't like her caught in the crossfire.

"Why don't you shut your fucking mouth for two seconds, and let me come up with a plan that doesn't involve mass suicide." Johns' good ole boy persona is starting to fade around the edges.

"I'm waiting," Carolyn challenges him, the creatures outside stir up a racket in the uneasy silence. "How much do you weigh, Johns?"

"What's it matter, Carolyn?" Johns tone is mocking, his blue eyes cynical.

"How much?" she asserts.

"Around 79 kilos, depending…," Johns finally replies to Carolyn but she interrupts him.

"Because you're 79 kilos of gutless white meat; and that's why you can't think of a better plan!"

"Is that fucking right?" Johns draws his gauge, lunging for Carolyn, and inadvertently Rain caught in the middle. _Can't have that._

Preempting Johns' outburst, Riddick manages to move between Rain and Johns' gauge before he's fully drawn it; the gauge ends up pressed against Riddick's jaw. He's unconcerned, tapping Johns' crotch with the shiv he'd drawn even before the gauge was pulled. Riddick's inner beast is impatient. _**Can we ghost him yet? **__Soon. Gonna let him dig his hole a little deeper first._

* * *

"ENOUGH!" Rain's shout echoes in the speechlessness of everyone's shock. Most of those present had barely heard her speak more than two words together, much less yell and raise her voice. _I prefer to stay out of the middle of crap like this, but I can't take this anymore. These people need to get their act together. _"I've listened to you all bicker like children for long enough. We've already got those things out to get us; we don't need to be at each other's throats. Two people are dead already, and there's no more time to lose. Why don't we take a vote on Carolyn's plan?"

Johns takes the moment to pull his gauge from Riddick's throat and back away, but the silence after Rain's eruption is still dominant; Imam is the first to break it. "I say we go."

"A-and I say we stay." Paris is his usual cowardly self. _Of course._

Imam speaks briefly with his remaining charge and adds his positive vote to the pot.

"It's my plan, you know my vote." Carolyn's voice is subdued and solemn.

"I want to stay." Jack's vote is barely a mumble, and Carolyn shifts awkwardly with the need to reassure him. _Poor Jack._

Rain turns to Riddick. "Riddick?"

"To the skiff." He nods.

"And my vote is with him." Rain professes. "Democracy prevails, majority says we go."

Johns snorts, "You gonna lead us through the dark, little lady? Since you're oh so brave and in charge now?"

Rain frowns, appearing to think it over. Riddick doesn't give her long to contemplate before he interrupts. "I will." _Riddick? _Rain looks questioningly at Riddick and he gives her a serious, unblinking, gaze.

Johns frowns, glaring at Riddick and opening his mouth to argue; Carolyn cuts Johns off before he can begin, and accepts Riddick's offer. "Then it's settled. Riddick can see in the dark and lead us to the skiff, no problem. Light's wasting. We need to get to the crash ship for the power cells and any other supplies we need. Let's move."

* * *

Riddick's beast isn't happy to be the new center of the groups' attention. _**How can we focus on Rain**__**,**__** with the others holding us back? **_Riddick ignores his inner and focuses on scouting the darkness around them as they head for the Hunter Gratzner's main hull.

"Riddick?" Carolyn grabs his attention and motions for him to look ahead into the ships interior.

Riddick nods for Rain to stick beside Jack, behind Carolyn, before he moves forward. "Looks clear."

Johns approaches with his gauge, ever the macho leader, but has to dodge to the side when one of the creatures springs from the darkness inside the ship, screeching as it narrowly misses him. It veers upward from the group when their light hits it, and flies away. _That was fun._

"You said clear!" Johns is livid.

Riddick shrugs nonchalantly, "I said 'look's clear'."

"Well, what's it look like now?"

Riddick glances up and then turns back to Johns, trying not to smirk. "Looks clear."

* * *

Rain helps Jack and Carolyn gather lighted tubing from the interior of the Hunter Gratzner, while Imam and his charge assemble a makeshift sled and gather the power cells into it. Paris puts together torches with his bottles of spirits, and Riddick barks a few orders here and there to get everyone in place and informed. Almost everyone works quickly and efficiently to set up and prepare for the journey ahead, each doing their part; Johns is the only one that doesn't contribute. _Figures. He's such a jerk__._

"Are we really going to do this?" Paris asks the group as they gather in the newly opened doorway of the ship, looking into the darkness outside. They are almost ready to go; only Johns is missing.

"We stay together. We keep the light burning. That's all we gotta do to live through this thing." Carolyn proclaims before heading back into the ship to search out Johns.

Rain stands beside Riddick, looking worried and hesitant. "Do you think we can make it?" She finally whispers to him, so only he can hear.

"You and me? Yes. All of them? No." He is matter of fact and unsympathetic, staring ahead at the creatures in the darkness. _What does that mean? _Rain is about to ask her thoughts aloud, but is hindered with Johns and Carolyn's arrival. _It's time to go already?_

Everyone is swiftly ushered into position around the makeshift sled, with Riddick directing where he wants each person. Riddick is taking the lead, Johns and Imam are positioned to pull the sled directly behind him, and the others end up scattered along the sides and back of the sled. _I'm not sure I'm ready for this._

The lighted tubing Rain had helped Jack and Carolyn gather circles everyone but Riddick, connected to a battery on the sled, its blues glow protecting them. Also in the sled are the torches Paris had assembled from his bottles of spirits, together in a box with a few flares. They'll save the flares and makeshift torches as backup light, in the event they are needed. Paris clutches the cutting torch close, needing extra light to stay sane. _That guy is practically scared of his own shadow. Is it bad that I'm kinda wishing those things would get him?_

Riddick gives the troop a once over, fixing his gaze on Rain briefly, before turning outward and starting their journey.

* * *

Rain had heard the phrase 'be careful what you wish for' before, but she'd never had it apply to her own life…yet. Of course today would be the day for the fates to decide she needs to learn her lesson. _I can't seem to catch a break__._

The group had been travelling for quite a while when the cutting torch finally runs out of fuel; starting a crazy chain reaction that ends with one of them dead. Paris quickly abandons the fuel-less cutting torch, reaching for one of the bottles of spirits on the sled. In his hurry, he accidently causes a flare to fall out of the box, and Jack is the only one that sees it fall. He calls for the group to halt so he can pick it up. "Wait." Jack doesn't think twice about removing his lighted tubing, making a grab for the flare on the outskirts of the light. _Jack!_

Everything happens very quickly after that.

The creatures suddenly get brave enough to swoop in closer to the group, causing Imam to have to tackle Jack to the ground, to save him from getting picked off. Rain doesn't have time to do much but duck, and stare, as Johns resorts to shooting arbitrarily, and Carolyn screams for Jack. Paris panics when one of the creatures comes too close to him, knocking him down, and he blindly clambers away from the group in search of safety, muttering to himself in denial. _Where does he think he's going? Wait!_

Rain watches helplessly from the other side of the sled, as Paris gets further and further away. The tubing wrapped around his torso causes the battery light to fall off the sled and short out, bringing darkness to the group, and Paris' imminent demise. _Damnit Paris! This is bad._

Luckily, the dark doesn't last long as Carolyn finds the flare Jack saved, quickly lighting it and using it to ignite a couple of the handmade torches. Everyone regroups in the scattered light. Rain is greatly relieved to see the flash of Riddick's eyes among those still alive. _It seems only Paris is gone._

"Well, it's good to see you're okay." Johns voices Rain's relief to Riddick, but with a hint of sarcasm. _You're such a jerk, Johns. I would hope you'd be next, but when I thought that about Paris, it actually came true. I would rather not have such a close call with those creatures again__._

Riddick ignores Johns, keeping his watchful eyes to the pitch black surrounding them, his back to the group.

"Do I even want to know?" Carolyn asks, extricating herself from Jack and coming up behind Riddick.

Riddick ignores Carolyn as well, taking a long moment before turning an eye to Jack and Rain beside each other, each clutching a torch. Rain makes eye contact with Riddick, trying to be strong and convey her determination. _Don't give me eyes like that, Riddick. We'll all be alright._

"We can do this." Rain encourages Riddick in a whisper; but she's not really so sure anymore.

* * *

**A/N: I don't have a beta…so any grammar or spelling mistakes in this fic are ones I've overlooked all on my lonesome, I apologize. This chapter probably has more than any other, because I got tired of reading and re-reading it after a while. :(**

**So, could Rain make a career as a psychic? It almost seems like it, right? :D Also, there's some interesting changes happening because of Rain's presence. Do you think I should make even more dramatic changes? Please tell me what you think in your review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black; but, I've seen it lots of times while writing this fic! :3

Over 100 favorites, so happy. :D And such great reviews, I love the suggestions and input, you guys are awesome! Please keep reviewing. :)

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 11**

When the group calls for a halt for the second time since their journey started, it's to confront Riddick about crossing their own tracks. _**They should just let us lead without question. **_Riddick's beast paces inside its inner cage, listening to the group babble their confusion at each other, getting more and more frustrated. _**I say we abandon them and make a run for it, just us and Rain. **_Riddick is tempted to take his beasts' advice.

"Why have we circled? Are we lost?" Imam storms toward Riddick, demanding.

Riddick avoids answering Imam, thinking over options of how best to get to the skiff. "Listen."

"Do you even know where we are?" Imam is finally showing some anger.

"Listen!" Riddick shouts, and Imam is silenced. The group takes a moment to listen to the creatures growling in the distance. "Canyon ahead. I circled once to buy some time to think."

"I think we should go now." Imam insists.

"Oh, I don't know about that. That's death row up there," Riddick replies. "Especially with the girl bleeding." _**Just leave them, only Rain matters**__**.**_

"What?" Imam is confused.

"What the fuck you talking about, no one's cut." Johns is pissed, glaring at Carolyn and Rain.

"Not them." Riddick tilts his head at the women, before turning and nodding once at Jack. "Her."

* * *

Rain is confused. _Wait, Jack's a girl? Riddick knew?_

"You've gotta be kidding me." Johns is exasperated.

Jack starts mumbling out excuses. "I just thought it'd be better if people took me for a guy. I thought they might leave me alone, instead of always messing with me."

"Jesus, Jack." Carolyn feels betrayed, calling out bitterly and pacing back and forth a few times.

Rain is the first to join Jack where she's crouched down, silent tears running down her face. "It's fine Jack. It doesn't matter." _How did I miss this?_

Carolyn joins them after a moment. "I'm sorry. She's right, Jack. I'm sorry sweetheart." Carolyn wraps an arm around Jack from the other side.

"You could have just left me at the ship. That's why I didn't say something sooner." Jack's voice is ashamed as she buries her face in her knees.

"They've been nose-open for her ever since we left. In case you haven't noticed, they go off blood." Riddick addresses Imam again. _So Riddick can smell Jack bleeding, that's how he knows._

"Look, this is not going to work. We're gonna have to go back." Carolyn sighs, standing up and raising her chin, trying to look confident as she addresses the group.

"What'd you say?" Johns is unbelieving, drawing everyone's attention. "This is your big plan, Carolyn. You and the little quiet bitch chose this for us. Turned us into sled dogs."

"So we were wrong. I admit it, okay. Can we just get back to the ship?" Carolyn is unyielding, facing off against Johns. Rain observes the two from her place beside Jack, deciding to stay out of the conflict.

"I don't know, Carolyn. Nice breeze, wide open space. I'm starting to enjoy my fuckin' self out here."

"What, are you high again? Just listen to yourself, Johns." _Johns is a druggie? _

"No, no, you're right, Carolyn. What's to be afraid of? My life is a steaming pile of meaningless shit anyhow, so I say mush on. The canyon's only a couple of meters and after that it's skiff city. So why don't you butch up, grab your sidekick bitch, stuff a cork in this fuckin' kid, and let's go!"

"She is the captain. We should listen to her." Imam defends Carolyn.

"Listen to her? When she was so willing to sacrifice us all?" Johns quirks his lips at Carolyn.

"What's he talking about?" Jack interjects, finally unburying her face from her knees.

"This does not help us, Johns." Carolyn pleads.

"During the crash, she tried to blow the whole passenger cabin, tried to kill us in our sleep."

"Shut your mouth!" Carolyn is abruptly furious.

Rain stands, feeling a little anger of her own. _Carolyn tried to kill us all? Why?_

"We are fuckin' disposable. We're just walkin' ghosts to you, aren't we?" Johns concludes.

"Shut your fuckin' blowhole!" Carolyn has had enough of Johns' taunts, she charges at him with her arms outstretched.

Johns intercepts her, already prepared, and uses her own momentum to shove her to the ground. _Those things out there don't even need to do anything; we'll kill each other off just fine without them._

Imam steps forward, confronting Johns before he can decide to vent anymore of his frustrations on Carolyn's huddle form. "Fine. Fine! You've made your point. We'll all be scared."

Johns smiles down at Carolyn. "Oh Carolyn, how much do you weigh now?" He turns to Rain, lighting a new flare as he taunts her next. "The verdict's in. The light moves forward."

* * *

Riddick struggles hard for control from his beast. Johns' recent aggression, so close to Rain, has it enraged. _**GHOST HIM. **_The beast throws its weight around inside its metaphorical cage. Slamming against the bars, it snarls in frustrated fury. Riddick tries to talk some sense into it. _He has that fuckin' gauge.__We need distance between him and Rain first__._The beast continues to vent its anger at Riddick, fighting for control. _Enough, damnit! Just let me get him away from the others first. _ For a moment, Riddick is unsure if the beast will relent, but finally it does. _**Then make it happen. Before I do.**_

Finally in control once again, Riddick uses his reprieve to get the shaken and scattered group back together and moving again. He sets Imam and his charge to pull the sled, and organizes the girls safely around it with their torches. Satisfied that they'll be fine, Riddick leaves them to bring up the rear and joins Johns, in the lead, a few meters ahead.

"Ain't all of us gonna make it." Johns starts as Riddick joins him.

_Listen to him chat like we're best buddies. Fuckin' hilarious_."Just realize that?"

"Seven of us left. If we could make it through the canyon and lose just one, that'd be quite the feat, huh?"

Riddick has to stifle a growl from his beast. "Not if I'm the one."

"Well, what if you're one of six?"

"I'm listening." _**Now's our chance, kill him now! **__Patience! We wait for the perfect moment, that's always been our style._

"Battlefield doctors decide who lives and dies; it's called triage."

"You kept calling it murder when I did it." _**He wants to kill Rain, I won't let him touch her! **__He'll never get near her, relax. Let me handle this__._

* * *

Rain walks on the other side of the sled from Jack, behind Imam and Carolyn as they whisper to each other. They watch Riddick and Johns doing almost the same up ahead.

"What's up with all the secrets?" Rain raises an eyebrow and mutters to Jack. _First Jack's a girl, then Johns is a druggie, and finally Carolyn's a bitch. What's next? Riddick's gay? Oh god__,__ please don't let that one be true!_

"Beats me, I ain't got anymore secrets." Jack shrugs and Rain smiles at her. _Such a cute kid. _

They walk in companionable silence, mostly ignoring the suspicious whispers going on, until Rain begins to notice Carolyn putting more and more distance between the two men leading, and their group around the sled. _What's happening now? I can't take many more surprises._ Carolyn calls a sudden halt to their group; moments later, the first shot of Johns' gauge is fired into the air. Riddick and Johns are fighting for control of it.

"Leave the sled! Let's move!" Carolyn shouts and runs away from the two battling men, grabbing Jack's shoulder to drag her along quicker. Imam and his charge follow. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Rain freezes, unsure if she should stay, or run with the others. They end up leaving her behind before she can decide what she wants to do. _Riddick said to stay by his side no matter what. I'm not leaving him. _Rain chooses to find cover, settling into a crouch behind some large bones nearby. She puts her torch beside her, out of sight of the two men brawling, but at a distance to still protect her with its light. As Rain turns back to peek around the bones, to see how Riddick is faring, there's a sudden lull in the fighting.

From where she's stationed, Rain can see Riddick and Johns circling each other in the dim glow of a green flare. Johns must have dropped his flare from earlier; his gauge is on the ground as well. _Probably empty. Good. I don't want to be hit by a stray bullet. _As the two men circle, with just a couple yards between them, Riddick reaches up slowly and removes the light he'd draped around his torso. He tosses the light away, and it's only the light of the single flare left to protect them. He draws a shiv made from a piece of curved black metal. _When did he make that? _Johns looks panicked, drawing a small blade of his own, shuffling from side to side, and never taking his eyes off of Riddick. _He doesn't stand a chance against Riddick with that thing._

"One rule." Riddick makes a quick move, throwing his shiv at Johns' hand and disarming him. He lunges forward, knocking Johns down with a solid hit to the side of his face. "Stay in the light."

Johns doesn't stay down for long, pulling out an expandable baton with a smooth motion, and using it to take Riddick's feet out from under himself. Once Riddick hits the ground, Johns raises the baton for an overhead strike from above; Riddick catches it mid-descent.

_Oh man, this is tense. I can't watch._ Rain clenches her eyes shut and turns away. She forces herself to look back when a loud groan grabs her attention.

She's relieved to find it's not Riddick, but Johns, with a long slash across his back via Riddick and his shiv. Johns gasps for air, writhing in pain on the ground and crawling toward his gauge. _Just leave him, Riddick. Let's get outta here._

"You should've never taken the chains off, Johns." Riddick's tone is taunting as he lords above the weaker man.

Johns finally reaches the gauge and turns on his back to start loading in new rounds. The green light of the flare begins to fade out, and shadows encroach upon the two men. _Get outta there, Riddick._

"You were one brave fuck before. You were really bad ass. The chains. The gauge. The badge." With each new utterance, Riddick backs away, blending more and more into the darkness around them. His final phrase to Johns is just a whisper from the dark, as the flare burns out completely. "I told you to ghost me."

* * *

**A/N: Is anyone else confused as to what system of measurement they're supposed to be using in the future? In the movie****,**** they use kilos for the weight of the cells, right? But then later Johns says "drag the body 40, 50, feet behind us"…so uh…metric is only used for weight? I am baffled by this. XD**

**In this fic****,**** I went with metric for all the future folk, with Rain using the American standard; to include a little of both, like the movie does. **


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Pitch Black; but that would be so cool, right?

Sorry if this chapter is shorter than most of the others...I blame the dwindling reviews. :( I need them to motivate me, yet they are getting less frequent. If it continues at this rate, and eventually no one reviews, perhaps I shall abandon the story altogether? :C For now, thank you to those faithful readers that do keep it up; love you guys. :) Please, please, review! 

_Italics = Inner most thoughts_

_**Bold Italics =Thoughts of the 'Beast'**_

**Chapter 12**

Riddick leaves Johns to his fate, satisfied that he won't be among the living for very much longer. Riddick's beast is finally content with Johns out of the picture, so he re-sheaths his shiv, grabs up the loop of lights he'd discarded earlier, and is ready to set out. _Time to find Rain. __**Good.**_He doesn't have to go very far to find her.

Rain is huddled nearby, chewing on her lower lip in worry and squinting into the darkness, searching. _Kitten is so cute when she's worried._ Riddick smirks as he comes up behind her.

"What are you searchin' for, babe?"

"Holy freak, man!" Rain slaps one hand to her chest, the other latching onto Riddick's leg to steady herself. "Are you trying to give a girl a heart attack?" Rain straightens from her crouched position, snatching up her torch and frowning at Riddick. "I was searching for you, of course."

"Hmm. Well, I'm here now, kitten." Riddick steps up closer to Rain, pressing his front to hers, tilting his face away from the glare of her torch. "Whatcha wanna do about it?" Riddick leans his face forward, breathing in the scent of Rain's neck. _She always smells so delicious. _

"Um…uh." Rain loses her train of thought.

Riddick smiles against Rain's neck, before pulling back to peer in her eyes. "I have a few ideas." _**Claim her. We finally have her alone again. **__Not safe enough here. Later. But a little messing around might be okay._

"Huh?" Her expression is all confusion.

Riddick throws back his head and laughs, and Rain blushes in realization that he's picking on her again.

"Um…if you're finished…we should probably go find the others." She mutters.

Riddick sobers up and frowns at her. "Why would we do that?"

Rain is confused again. "Because they went that way, while the skiff is that way?" She points in said directions.

Riddick just stares at her. "We don't need them to get the skiff running; they left the cells. They chose to go back to the crash site on their own, shouldn't we respect that? Besides, I like having you all to myself." Riddick grasps Rain's waist and leans as if to kiss her, but she jerks her head to the side before he can succeed; his beast growls.

Rain pulls away from Riddick and quirks an eyebrow at him. "You're joking, right? If we leave them, they're going to die."

"And I say again, we don't need them, so why should we care?"

Rain steps further back from Riddick's grasp, and he drops his hands to his sides. "Because it's the right thing to do?"

Riddick throws his head back again, roaring with laughter even louder than before. "Is that right? And do I look like the type to do the right thing?"

Rain frowns at Riddick, worrying her lower lip again. She doesn't bother arguing with him, just turns and leaves in the direction the others went.

"Hey, where do you think you're goin'?" Riddick lunges for her, grabbing her arm and halting her in her tracks.

"To find the others." She's matter of fact and determined, glaring him down.

_**Just grab her and let's go. **_"And what's keeping me from throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to the skiff anyway?"

Rain appears to think it over for a moment. "You can't drag the sled and me both?"

Riddick grins at her. "Wanna bet?"

"Damnit, Riddick, this isn't funny. We're wasting time." Rain is exasperated.

Riddick growls low, "all the more reason to leave them. They're a waste of time."

* * *

Rain can't believe Riddick is being so stubborn about this._ My conscious won't allow me to just leave them to those things without at least trying a little._

"I can care less about Carolyn, and the guys are nice enough, but above all, Jack is an innocent in this; just a kid. I can't just leave her to die. Besides, they can help get the cells to the skiff easier than just us." Rain gives sad eyes to Riddick, trying her best impression of puppy-eyes. "Please, Riddick?"

Riddick turns his face to the darkness, thinking.

"Maybe I can pay you back somehow, when this is all over?" Rain tries another tactic.

Riddick tilts his head and turns back to Rain, an interested look in his eyes. "Pay me back somehow?"

_Uh oh, maybe I shouldn't have worded it that way? Too late now. Just agree vaguely and haggle the specifics later. _"Yeah. Now can we go?"

"Hmm. I'll be holding you to your word, darlin'. You owe me." Riddick stares at Rain and she nods her consent.

_Oh man, what have I gotten myself into now?_

* * *

Riddick has no trouble tracking the others and leading Rain to them. He steps in Carolyn's path, making her scream and interrupting the groups' desperate flight. _They're like frightened mice with no sense of direction. _Rain looks a little amused as well.

"Back to the ship, huh? Just huddle together until the lights burn out." Riddick taunts Carolyn.

"Get away from us." Carolyn can no longer hide her fear of Riddick, she backs away from him, her eyes flitting briefly to Rain. _So much for the brave 'captain'._

"Till you can't see what's eating you. That the big plan?" Riddick continues.

"Where's Johns?" Imam steps up, looking suspicious.

"Which half?" _Can't resist fuckin' with them a little._

"We're gonna lose everybody out here." Jack mutters in a desperate tone. "We should've stayed in the ship."

"He died fast. If we have any choice about it, that's the way we should all go out." Riddick stares each person down, before stalking toward Jack when he sees her start to sniffle. "Don't you cry for Johns. Don't you dare." _Not when that fucker was so eager to hack you and Rain up._

* * *

Rain frowns at Riddick as he storms away. She moves toward Jack and wraps an arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay, Jack. We're gonna get outta here soon."

"Why don't we pray for a moment." Imam suddenly interjects. "For guidance, bravery, and gratitude."

"Gratitude?" Jack frowns.

"That we are still alive." Imam mutters to her.

"Oh."

Imam motions for everyone to gather around, raising a hand and chanting in Arabic. Rain has no idea what he's saying as he's praying, but enjoys the melodious cadence of his voice. Rain takes a moment for a prayer of her own. _Whatever deity is watching over us in this place, please keep us safe. And Riddick, too._

Imam finishes praying with the group, tells them to rest for a moment, and leaves them in search of Riddick. When he returns, it's with Riddick at his side, having gathered the cells from the sled and secured them together with rope. Riddick's expression is even harder than before. _What did Imam say to him?_

* * *

The group sets out again before Rain has a chance to ask Riddick what turned his mood sour. _I hope he's not rethinking our deal about abandoning everyone. _Rain decides to stay close to Jack for their travels, to both give and get reassurance that they'll be fine. She's only pulled out of her dark thoughts by Riddick's voice.

"I only see one way. That way." Riddick motions down the middle of the canyon they had come through in the sand cat earlier. The canyon is surrounded by the awful creatures; they call and howl from the darkness beyond the light, unnerving Rain. "It's the only way off this rock. Just keep the girls between you." Riddick searches out Rain's eyes.

"What about the cells?" Imam looks worriedly at Riddick.

"I'll take those."

_It's not too much, right? _Rain is hesitant for Riddick, worried he'll take on too much.

Riddick leaves no time for argument as he moves to the back of the group, facing towards the canyon and pulling on his goggles. "Move."

"Are you sure you can keep up?" Carolyn asks.

"MOVE!" Riddick's command is louder this time, and the group is spurred into the canyon, running.

Carolyn leads them, Rain and Jack are close behind her, Imam and his charge follow, and Riddick brings up the rear, dragging the cells. Rain sends out one more silent prayer as she moves forward with the others._ Please give Riddick the strength to get us through this._


End file.
